Bottle capper



15 capacities.

Patented Apr.v 1, 1930 UNITED STATES Perfan-rl oFFic-E SELWYN R. BLACKSTONE, F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- v MENTS, TO BLACKSTONE -INVENTIONS, INC. i

BOTTLE cAPPnR Application sied February 14, 1929. seria1 110.339,90?.

This invention relates to rbottle cappers.

An obj ect of the present invention is to provide an eliicient bottle capping device of simple design and sturdy construction to withstand long and hard usage.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bottle capper which can be manuactured at an extremely low cost.

Whilenumerous bottle capping devices are now on the market none of them satisfactorily fulfill all the requirements of a ready capping device for the reason that they are either heavy and bulkyor that they require adjustment to adapt them for bottles of different The present invention provides a bottle capper in which the above noted obj ections have been eliminated which is extremely simple in form, and which can with facility be used on bottles of dierent capacities without requiring adjustment;

A further object of the present invention is the provision of means on the body portion of the capper to retain the bottle against movement and to distribute the capping pressure about the periphery ofthe bottle neck to thereby avoid bottle breakage during the capping operation.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of `two illustrative embodiments of the present invention.`

lIn the drawings: Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal midsection taken through the `bottle ca per.

'Fig 2 represents an end elevation o the capper shown in Figure 1. l Y

Fig.y 3 represents a topplan view of the same capper.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view showingV a y modiied form of the device. Y

In theembodimentof the invention shown in Figures 1, 2' and 3 of the accompanying drawings, the bottle capper comprises apiece of sheet metal bent intermediate its ends to form a saddle 10 having upwardly extending converging arms 11 and 12. A handle 13 is pivotally mounted between the arms 1 1 and 12 on 'a rivet 14. A capping die 15 of usual form is permanently secured to a U-shaped strap 16 which in turn is pivotally mounted on the handle.v 13 by means of a rivet 17 .t It

will be noted from the drawings that the rivet 17 lies closely adjacent the handle fulcrum rivet 14 so as to provide a high mechanical advantage by which a heavy capping thrust may be applied by the exertion of a comparatively lightvpressure upon the outer end of the handle 13.

The body portion of the saddle 10 is sodes1gned as to form a bottle neck receiver which will sustain the capping thrust andretain vthe bottle against movement during the capping operation. rEhe arms 11 and 12 merge into the body portion to form an apron 18, which envelopes a portion of the bottle neck and is of suiiicient depths to contact with the side 19 ot the bottle 20 well below the lobe or bead 21 on the bottle. VThe top of the apron 18 is preferably provided with an inwardly directed flange 22 having an arcuate edge 23 designed to snugly engage the neck 25 of the bottle immediately below the bead Y 21. The extremities of the flange 22 are bent slightly upwardly to form tangs 24 adapted to react against the tace or" the bead to .retain the neck of the bottle in firm contact with the edge23 of the ang'e ythroughout the f bottleneck to thereby avoid bottle breakage that might otherwise occur if the flange were in contact with the bottle at two diametrically. disposed points only. The bottle cap 26, of standard fornuis shown in section on the Vbottle and within the capping die 15. (See Figfl.)

It will thus forms a seat for the'bottle neck, well adapted to 'sustain the capping thrust, `and that the depending apron 18 reacts against the side of the bottle to thereby retain the same against rocking inthe seat and thus sustain the reaction of the saddle 10 imposed by the thrust inducing action of the handle 13 thereen ln tact the seat forming flange 22 and apron 18 coact with the bottle in such manner that the bottle becomes Ain eliect an integral part of the'saddle, the body of the bottle acbe noted that the l'langei22' facilitates the accomplishment of obtaining -i greater mechanical advantage upon the manipulation of the handle, as previouslydescribed, and'also functions to transmit -the pressure applied to the handle 13 to the sad- :ile 10 in such a manner `as to apply in ei'ect a `vertical. pressure ont-he f1ange.22 to resist and sustain the pressure exerted by the-cap? ping die and in addition tends to increase the grippingnaction of odge23 against the neck of thefbottle, byvirtue of the convergence `of thewarms 11 and `12.

The 'operation of cappingfjla bottleby meansof the present, capperi lis extremely `simple. Thebottle 20is slipped into the saddle li()through the openside thereof so that the flange 22 engagestheneck 25 of the bottle Iimmediately below` the bead 21; with the tangs 24 bearing. against the side of the bead. rlhehandle 113 may then be raised to a positi yon(` approximating the dotted rline showing inFig,` l and the bottle cap 26 placed in its proper position. The handle 13 may then be swung downwardly untilthecapping die 15, thecap 26, and the mouth of ithe bottle are rinproperalignment; At this time the bottle maybe grasped firmlyin one hand and the handleflB grasped by the other hand. By exerting pressure on ,the handle 13 the capping diel `forces thecap 26 over the mouth of the bottle and crimps the fluted periphery oftheicap to-engage the cap firmly on the mouthlof the bottle to seal the same. After the cap `has been `driven home on the bottle thelcapper is released by raising` the handle 13 tofree the capping die 15 from the cap after which the saddle is removed `from the bottle.

It ,will be noted that the simplicitylof operation, of-3this device along with the sim- ``plicityiyof the `device itself is such as `to make the capping of a bottle by use of this device virtually as simple as the present methods y used :for decapping bottles.

s VThe modified form of the device shown in` F ig.` 4 is similar in many respects to the embodiment shown in `ligures 1, 2 .and 3. It comprises a saddle 10 having upwardly ex-` tending converging arms 12` and a pivot pin 14. adjacent their upperextremity. A capping diel15" carried by a U-shaped strap 16 is pivotally. mounted on a bracket 27 by i means of a pin 17 which lies closely adjacent the pivot" pin 14. Thebracket 27 is carried byan integral 'baseplate 28 `whichymay `be anchored to a wall 29 or similar surface by means of screws 30.

The operation of capping a bottle by use of this modified form differs slightly from that previously described in so far as the bottleitself forms the lever s, armby.which pressure is exerted` to cap the bottle. The method of capping a bottle with this form of capper is extremely simple however'. The

saddleu10 is preferably raisedy :to a. position. y

approximating thatshown in the dotted lines of Figzfi, and the bottle 20 slipped into the saddle'with the flange 22 engaging the neck 25 immediately belowthe bead 21 of the bottle. A cap 26" may be readily tapped in positief @Jouet thezbottls before applying the bottle to thecapper. Thecappingdie 15C is thenraised toa point 1Where it lwillfen-A.l gage the cap;26 asthe bottleis swung, downwardly toward thekfullI line position shown; in this figure. Then the capping `diehasengagedthe cap on thebottle the bottle is forced downwardly to'drive thecappingdieand capy,

l over themoutlr ofthe bottlefto firmlyseal i the same in the ,mannerpreviouslydescribed.

It willreadilybe. seenthat thezsaddle 1Q. and, f bottle 2Of` rock .as annit about the piyotlpin i 14. It `wilhalso benoted that the, pivot ,pin l uponiwhichthe cappingdie 155` is mount-l ed lies belowand a.shortdistance from. the pivot pin 145,. Obviously' when; the ,i saddle and bottleare rocked fromntheudotted line,l position, (,seetrFig. {1)to the full linedpositiom the distance between the cappingdieand the a top of the saddlezwillfbe materially decreased andj by reason1of1this fact the'capy will be forced over.` i the, head, of` the" bottle and crimpedi in position to seal the bottle, y

011e ofmthe, outstanding features,` of the presentginvention, lies `inrthe faut that the bottle capperais soidesignedA as to permit usel on any of a plurality of bottles havingidiifer ent. capacities without the necessity of adjustmentof the capper.- This' conditioniis due to c the fact-thatalli` `bottles of this type havefaV standard neel; dimension, and-il'predicate a .larve` ortionl of A1n success in-thi's endeavor to `theformation of-a saddle to receive and retain the-bottle ing-proper-pnsition` to be A acted upon by a cappingdie to provide a suc-r` l cessful," simple and efficient Abottle icapper.

Variouschanges maybe made in the embodiments `of the invention hereinaboyespe ciiically described without departing from the invention as defined in the appended Claims- I claim 1. A ,bottle capper comprising two` pivotallyconnected members, a capping dieforiaone of said! members, an..arcuat1e.` flange a on` ,theK other of said members for embracing the nec/lnof bottle tofsupport ,the `same i against the thrust offsaidcapping die,and tangs on saidry flange i,coactingny with E said; bottle to i insure y pe- CTI n i of) `flange and seat open at one sideto freely admit a bottleV neck and to sustain the same against the thrust of said capping die, that portion of said seat adjacent said open side being upwardly curved to retain said neck in peripheral contact with said seat.

4. In a bottle capper the combination of a capping die, a bottle neck receiver, a member coacting with said die and receiver to induce a capping thrust, a bottle neck seat on said receiver for sustaining said capping thrust,and bottle engaging means on said receiver through which the bottle sustains the reaction of said receiver resulting from the thrust inducing action between said receiver and member.

5. In a bottle capper the combination of a capping die, a bottle neck receiver, a member co-acting with said die and receiver to induce a capping thrust, a bottle neck seat on said receiver for sustaining said capping thrust, said seat being open at one side to freely admit the bottle neck, and a bottle en gaging member disposed below the other side of said seat for transmitting to the bottle the reaction of said receiver resulting from the thrust inducing action between said receiver and member.

6. In a bottle capper the combination of a capping die, a bottle neck receiver, a mem,

ber coacting with said die and receiver to induce a capping thrust, the action between said member and receiver tending to induce a rocking action between said receiver and a bottle therein, andv bottle engaging means on said receiver for effectively preventing such rocking action lwhereby the bottle is instrumental in efecting the thrust inducing action between said receiver and member.

7. In a bottle capper the combination of a bottle receiver having an open sided seat for receiving a bottle neck, upwardly' convergentsupporting arms for saidfreceiver,

a capping die, anda member pivotally connected with said arms and with said die for inducing a capping thrust between said die and seat, said convergent arms and member being so arranged as to induce a closing pressure of said seat against the bottle neckV during the capping operation. Y i

8. In a bottle capper the combination of aV bottle neck receiver, comprising a piece of sheet metal bent intermediate its ends to form a saddle for embracing the bottle neck, an inturned flange at the top of said saddle forming a bottle neck seat, the bottom of said saddle being arranged for contact with'the bottle, a pair of spaced arms extending upwardly from said saddle, a capping die, and a member rockably connected with said arms and die for effecting a capping pressure.

9. A device of the character described comprising a capping member and a support therefor in combination with a bottle engaging member comprising integrally` a sheet metal strip bent upon itself to provide a bottle engaging bight and having in said bight Y a semi-circular inwardly turned marginal iange on its upper margin,.the portions of said strip beyond said bight being upwardly turned in spaced relation suiiicient topermit the free passage of a bottle mouth to a position such that the neck of such a bottle may be engaged by the flange in said bight,the upper portions of said strip being pivoted to said support.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination with a capping member and a support therefor, of a bottle engaging bight into which the neck of a bottle is laterally receivable, an arm projecting upwardly from said bight at each side of the path of a bottle introduced therein, and a pivotal connection between said supportand said arms, the length of said arms and said capping mem-v ber being such with respect to a bottle and cap therefor, that in the engagement of a cap by'said capping member a line drawn between said pivotal connection and the point of application of pressure on said capping member will be at an acute angle with respect to the direction of movement of said capping member toward said bottle, and said bight opening toward said pivotal connection, whereby a component of the reaction of thrust of said support upon said bottle engaging member will tend to draw said bight snugly to the neck of a bottle engaged therein. In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 12th day of February, 1929.

SELWYN R. BLACKSTONE. 

